TalkJS vs CometChat
Comparing TalkJS and CometChat for in-app chat? This page compares features, compliance, and pricing at three usage levels, with sources and dates.
TalkJS and CometChat are both chat APIs and SDKs with a pre-built chat UI. CometChat adds voice and video calling, native iOS and Android UI kits, HIPAA with a BAA on its Advanced plan, and SOC 2, so if you need those from one vendor, CometChat covers them. TalkJS is ISO 27001 certified and focuses on chat: you can replace parts of its UI with your own React or Web components, and every plan includes email, SMS, and push notifications without your own SendGrid or Twilio account, unlimited message retention, and chat and email support from engineers.
TalkJS is a chat API and SDK for adding user-to-user chat to web and mobile apps. Its pre-built chat UI comes as React and Web Components that work with any framework, and theme components let you replace parts of it with your own components. Email, SMS, and push notifications are built in on all plans. TalkJS is ISO 27001 certified, GDPR compliant, and hosted in Europe.
- You want email and SMS notifications on every plan, without your own SendGrid or Twilio account
- You want users to answer notification emails from their inbox, with the reply landing in the chat
- You want to replace parts of the chat UI with your own React or Web components
- You need unlimited message retention on every plan
- You want to build and test with every feature in a free development mode
- ISO 27001 and GDPR, with data hosted in Europe, cover your compliance needs
- You want chat and email support from engineers on every plan, and a named Solutions Engineer on Enterprise
CometChat is a chat API and SDK platform with UI kits for web and mobile, including native iOS and Android, and a separate voice and video calling product. Its Advanced plan adds HIPAA with a BAA, AI moderation rules, and email and SMS notifications through your own SendGrid or Twilio account. CometChat has SOC 2, hosts in multiple regions, and offers a dedicated region on Enterprise.
- You need threaded conversations built in
- You want voice and video calling from the same vendor as chat
- You need pre-built UI kits for native iOS or Android
- You need HIPAA with a BAA, or SOC 2
- You want AI moderation built in
- You need a 99.999% uptime SLA (an add-on on the Advanced and Enterprise plans)
- You need hosting in multiple regions, or a dedicated region
Compare TalkJS and CometChat
This table compares TalkJS and CometChat on 34 features in nine groups, as of October 2026. TalkJS includes email, SMS, and reply-by-email notifications on all plans, with unlimited message retention and chat and email support from engineers. CometChat leads on threads, voice and video calling, native iOS and Android UI kits, HIPAA and SOC 2, built-in AI moderation, its uptime SLA add-on, and hosting regions. For a switching guide, see CometChat alternative.
| Feature | TalkJS | CometChat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core messaging | |||
| 1-on-1 chat | Yes. | Yes. | |
| Group chat | Yes. Hundreds or thousands of users per chat | Yes. Private, public and password groups | |
| Typing indicators | Yes. | Yes. | |
| Read receipts | Yes. | Yes. Group “read by all” needs Advanced | |
| Message features and interactions | |||
| Emoji reactions | Yes. Emoji reactions per user role | Yes. | |
| Threads | No. Guide to build reply threads | Yes. Threaded conversations and replies | |
| Message search | Yes. Growth plan and up | Yes. All plans (conversation search on Advanced) | |
| Content and media | |||
| File sharing | Yes. 100 MB max file size, unlimited storage | Yes. Photo, video and files, unlimited storage | |
| Voice messages | Yes. | Yes. Voice notes | |
| Message translation | Yes. Growth plan and up (charged separately) | Yes. Advanced plan and up | |
| User experience | |||
| Pre-built web UI | Yes. React and Web Components (any framework) | Yes. React UI Kit (React, Next.js, React Router, Astro) | |
| UI customization | Theme components: replace parts of the UI with your own React or Web components | CSS variables, sub-components and message plugins | |
| UI localization | Yes. 34+ languages | Yes. | |
| Real-time Data API (headless) | Yes. JavaScript (web and React Native), Kotlin, Swift and Flutter (Android) | Yes. JavaScript, iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native and Unreal | |
| Pre-built mobile UI | Yes. React Native and Flutter | Yes. iOS, Android, React Native and Flutter | |
| Notifications | |||
| Push notifications | Yes. Mobile and browser push | Yes. | |
| Email notifications | Yes. All plans, built in (no third-party account) | Yes. Advanced plan, with your own SendGrid account | |
| SMS notifications | Yes. All plans (SMS charged separately) | Yes. Advanced plan, with your own Twilio account | |
| Reply via email | Yes. All plans (syncs to chat) | Yes. Advanced plan | |
| Moderation | |||
| Profanity filter | Yes. Word blocklists and regex suppression | Yes. Profanity detection and word/pattern rules | |
| AI moderation | No. Through third-party integrations | Yes. Advanced plan and up (OpenAI rules on Enterprise) | |
| Security and compliance | |||
| GDPR | Yes. | Yes. | |
| ISO 27001 | Yes. | Yes. | |
| SOC 2 | No. | Yes. | |
| HIPAA (BAA) | No. | Yes. Advanced plan and up | |
| SSO for the dashboard | Yes. Enterprise plan (OpenID Connect) | Yes. Enterprise plan | |
| Data hosting region | Europe | Multi-region (dedicated region as an Enterprise add-on) | |
| Developer experience and support | |||
| Webhooks | Yes. 1 on Basic, 3 on Growth and Enterprise | Yes. All plans (more event types on Advanced) | |
| Free for development | Yes. Development mode with all features | Yes. Build plan, up to 100 users | |
| Message retention | Unlimited, all plans | 6 months on all plans (can be extended at extra cost) | |
| Uptime SLA | Yes. 99.9% on Enterprise | Yes. 99.999% as an add-on on Advanced and Enterprise | |
| Voice and video calling | No. Integrate a calling provider of your choice | Yes. Voice/Video product | |
| Support | Chat and email with engineers, all plans (priority from Growth, named Solutions Engineer on Enterprise) | Ticketed support, all plans (priority support and Solution Engineering at extra cost) | |
| Pricing and usage | |||
| MAU overage rate | $0.04 per extra MAU on Basic, $0.03 on Growth | $0.10 per extra MAU on Basic and Advanced (lower at higher tiers) | |
Read more in the TalkJS docs: Themes, Notifications, and Moderation.
Why TalkJS?
TalkJS has run chat in production since 2016 and delivers more than 130 million messages a month for customers in over 90 countries.
We were able to offload all messaging to TalkJS — hugely simplifying our development of an otherwise complex stack.
We’ve seen a 3x increase in booking conversion compared to our previous experience with a masked-SMS solution.
I demoed a working end-to-end chat conversation in our platform in just 2–3 days. The POC took less than an hour.
TalkJS pricing vs CometChat
TalkJS and CometChat both publish monthly prices by monthly active users (MAU). The table shows each vendor’s price at 10,000, 25,000, and 50,000 MAU.
| Monthly active users | TalkJS | CometChat |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 MAU | Basic $239 | Basic $299 |
| 25,000 MAU | Growth $499 | Basic $699 |
| 50,000 MAU | Growth $1,249 | Basic $1,349 |
Prices are in USD per month, billed annually, as of October 2026. At 50,000 MAU, the TalkJS price is the Growth plan plus overage for each MAU over the 25,000 it includes: $499 + 25,000 × $0.03 overage = $1,249. See the current prices on the TalkJS pricing page and the CometChat pricing page.
Migrate to TalkJS from CometChat
To move from CometChat to TalkJS, you can bring your users, conversations, and messages over with the TalkJS data import API. Tell the TalkJS team about your setup in the form below to plan the move.
- Data import and export API on all plans
- Migration help from the TalkJS team
FAQs
As of October 2026, in USD per month billed annually: at 10,000 MAU, TalkJS Basic is $239 and CometChat Basic is $299. At 25,000 MAU, TalkJS Growth is $499 and CometChat Basic is $699. At 50,000 MAU, TalkJS Growth with overage is $1,249 ($499 plus 25,000 MAU at $0.03 each) and CometChat Basic is $1,349. Prices change, so check both pricing pages before you decide.
No. TalkJS doesn’t have SOC 2 and doesn’t sign a HIPAA business associate agreement (BAA). TalkJS is ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant on all plans. CometChat has SOC 2 and offers HIPAA with a BAA on its Advanced plan, so if you need either, CometChat fits that requirement.
No. TalkJS is chat-first and has no native voice or video calling. You can integrate a calling provider of your choice next to TalkJS chat. CometChat has its own voice and video calling product.
Yes, on both. TalkJS theme components let you replace parts of the chat UI with your own React or Web components (see Themes). CometChat’s React UI Kit is customized with CSS variables, sub-components, and message plugins.
Not on TalkJS. Email and SMS notifications are built in on all TalkJS plans, and SMS is charged separately. On CometChat, email and SMS notifications are on the Advanced plan and need your own SendGrid or Twilio account.
Yes. TalkJS development mode is free and includes all features. CometChat’s Build plan covers up to 100 users.
Yes. The TalkJS Data APIs for JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, and Flutter let you build your own chat UI and read, subscribe to, and update chat data in real time. CometChat’s Chat SDKs are headless too, with SDKs for JavaScript, iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native, and Unreal.
Yes. The TalkJS data import and export API is available on all plans. For help planning the move, use the contact form.